Within this unexplored region lurked countless Gastrea of varying stages—from Stage I hatchlings to Stage IV catastrophic beasts—spreading like a shadowy tide into every corner.
Right after entering the forest, the Civil Security forces encountered a Stage IV Gastrea. A group of officers who couldn't even break into the top thousand IP rankings had no courage to fight, scattering in terror, resulting in numerous casualties.
If not for that, their numbers would've been several times greater when they had cornered Hiruko Kagetane.
Since they didn't even dare face a Stage IV, confronting the EX-ranked Jabberwock was entirely out of the question.
Even though its size might be smaller, the oppressive feeling it gives off is far beyond that Stage IV we saw earlier... This one's definitely another Stage IV Gastrea!
The relatively experienced officer, Yoshioka Yurokurou, suppressed his instinctive urge to scream, forcing his brain to rapidly analyze the situation to regain some calm.
Soon, Yoshioka realized with relief that this Stage IV Gastrea had its head raised high and hadn't noticed these "ants."
If they stayed quiet and waited patiently, perhaps this monster would simply pass by...
"M-Monster! Stay away!!"
A sudden, shrill scream from behind made Yoshioka feel as if the blood in his body had surged straight into his head, his soul shattering into pieces and leaking from his pores.
Whirling around, Yoshioka saw Komura Gorou trembling uncontrollably, his face paper-white, lips shaking violently, teeth chattering, pupils contracted into needle points from sheer terror. Sweat poured down his forehead in waterfalls, soaking through his collar—as if his soul had already been crushed beneath the monster's overwhelming pressure.
This idiot—!!
As expected, when Yoshioka turned back to the Jabberwock, it had already lowered its head, looking directly in their direction. Instantly, the oppressive pressure bearing down on them surged dramatically.
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH—!!"
Komura's rationality collapsed entirely. Forgetting even to command his Initiator to shield him, he let out a heart-rending scream and ran desperately in the opposite direction.
The others, faces equally pale but slightly calmer than Komura, drew their weapons and stared intensely at the Jabberwock.
Of course, they had no intention of fighting to the death—they just knew running blindly away with their backs to the enemy like Komura would only lead to quicker deaths.
However, the giant beast stood frozen, utterly motionless. Some officers' arms grew sore from holding their guns ready for so long.
Though deeply confused, no one dared make the slightest move—even as their limbs gradually numbed and sweat trickled into their eyes.
They simply concentrated fully, watching the monster's every subtle movement.
But then—it vanished.
In a single instant, shorter than the blink of an eye, the massive form abruptly disappeared from their sight.
A heartbeat later, a thunderous impact like the earth itself howling in agony erupted behind them, accompanied by a raging wind nearly strong enough to blow them off their feet.
Its EX-ranked agility rendered the Jabberwock's movements completely imperceptible. Within that split second, it had passed the officers. Its EX-ranked strength and endurance turned massive trees and rocks along its path instantly into dust.
Komura Gorou, who had run a considerable distance away, screaming just moments earlier, was now seized by the Jabberwock. His bones, muscles, internal organs—everything—instantly burst under the overwhelming violence. Blood sprayed from between its fingers like arrows.
The Jabberwock stared blankly at its own hand, utterly puzzled. I just wanted to catch him... why did he die when I squeezed him gently?
After Komura's death, the Jabberwock paid no further attention to the terrified Civil Security officers. Its master's orders prioritized cleaning up nearby Gastrea first.
"Did… Did we just survive?"
Only after another five minutes—which felt as endlessly long as an entire century—passed without any further earth-shaking footsteps did one officer speak up, voice trembling and nearly sobbing, carefully voicing the question everyone had in mind.
Perhaps the monster only attacked moving objects and ignored stationary ones—like frogs that only hunt moving insects—but these exhausted, traumatized officers had no energy left to consider why they'd been spared.
Immediately after, fierce arguments erupted among the survivors.
Due to the Jabberwock's appearance, some completely lost their courage, only wanting to escape this dangerous place, while others insisted on continuing to search for Nursery Rhyme and Scorpio. After all, if a Stage V Gastrea was summoned, returning to Tokyo Area wouldn't save them.
It was the Initiators with their sharper senses who first noticed something unusual.
Prompted by their Initiator partners, several Promoters glanced around, noticing that a thick fog had silently settled over them.
"Huh? When did it get so foggy?"
Normal fog would've been acceptable, but the density and speed with which this fog spread were incredibly abnormal.
In mere breaths, visibility dropped to nearly zero.
"This fog isn't normal!"
"Hey! Where are you guys? Don't move too far apart! We'll get separated!"
"Damn it... What if a Gastrea attacks us now?"
"Why is today filled with nothing but one bizarre thing after another?!"
Yoshioka Yurokurou heard the frantic and nervous shouts of other officers echoing nearby through the fog; it seemed like they weren't too far away yet.
Luckily, his Initiator was still beside him. When the fog had first appeared, he'd had a bad feeling and immediately grasped his Initiator's hand. Yet, even this close, he couldn't see her figure at all. Isn't this fog way too thick...?
"I've had enough! If you guys want to keep searching, go ahead! I'm out! It's pointless to stay anyway—if Tokyo Area gets destroyed, so be it!"
Another officer spoke up, clearly giving up. Yoshioka judged from his voice that the man was moving farther away; he genuinely intended to flee.
"Hey! You—... Hold on, guys, I'll go bring that idiot back!" Another officer's voice gradually faded as he apparently chased after the deserter.
Yoshioka furrowed his brow deeply. Are these guys serious? What use is someone who's completely lost the will to fight? Aren't they afraid they'll get separated in this dense fog?
"Hey! You two—"
The words suddenly died in Yoshioka's throat.
Strange… What were those two officers' names again?
Why can't I remember them?
And… What did I even want to say to them just now?
Utterly bewildered, Yoshioka slowly looked down at his own empty hands, then scanned the indistinct surroundings.
"Just now… Was someone beside me before?"
"Why am I even here?"
"Wait... Who am I?"
...
"Ohhh? You killed someone? How could you kill someone? Killing is bad. It must really hurt when someone dies, right?"
Nursery Rhyme spoke in her crisp, clear voice, currently standing atop the Jabberwock's shoulder, listening to it recount its experience.
"Huh? You're saying...you didn't intend to kill him, you only meant to catch him? And...you saw that man hitting and scolding a little girl? Mmm...from your description, he really was a very bad uncle, so I suppose you didn't do anything wrong after all."
The Jabberwock made no audible sound, so if anyone else had been present, they'd think Nursery Rhyme was just talking to herself.
But Nursery Rhyme truly was conversing with the Jabberwock.
Patting the Jabberwock's neck gently, Nursery Rhyme smiled sweetly and said, "Once we're back, let's have ice cream together! Eating sweet things always puts me in a better mood. Though chocolate's good, I still prefer strawberry. Pink ice cream looks sweet and tasty, plus the scary Miss Nightingale isn't here, so Nursery Rhyme can have as much ice cream as she wants!"
The dense fog, heavy enough to obscure all vision, also surrounded Nursery Rhyme and the Jabberwock. Yet, this fog had no effect on them. Nursery Rhyme's eyes could pierce through the mist as she gazed into its depths, her eyes full of anticipation.
"Our paradise will soon have some new friends. It'd be wonderful if one of them knows how to make ice cream. After all, summer's coming soon… How long will it take until everyone in the whole world becomes good friends? Then we can invite everyone to our tea party! I'm so excited! We'll have to bake the world's largest macaron!"
...
While pursuing Hiruko Kagetane, Satomi Rentaro's chest pocket suddenly vibrated urgently. He quickly retrieved his buzzing communicator and answered. An electronic voice immediately sounded.
"Satomi-kun…"
Just by the voice, Rentaro instantly recognized who it was—his boss at the Civil Security Corporation, and also his crush.
"Kisara-san, I—"
"We finally got back in contact! Listen carefully, Satomi-kun! That bicycle...the bicycle inside that suitcase is the sealing-designated item capable of summoning a Stage V Gastrea—the 'Legacy of Seven Stars'!"
Tendō Kisara cut straight to the crucial information without any extra pleasantries.
"What!?" Rentaro was stunned. "Did Lady Seitenshi tell you this?"
"I'm currently here with Seitenshi-sama."
"Huh?"
Inside the conference room, Seitenshi, dressed in an elegant white gown, approached Kisara, gently asking in a voice so soothing it could cleanse one's soul, "Tendō-san, could you allow me to speak directly to Satomi-san?"
Facing Tokyo Area's highest ruler, Kisara certainly wouldn't act casually just because Seitenshi was gentle, close in age, and even an alumnus. Refusing her polite request would simply be rude.
Thus, the phone ended up in Seitenshi's hands.
"Hello, Satomi Rentaro-san."
"Seitenshi-sama?!"
Rentaro instantly stiffened, his posture becoming perfectly straight.
The instant Seitenshi's name was spoken, every Civil Security officer around immediately snapped their heads toward Rentaro.
"We wanted to reestablish contact as quickly as possible, and Tendō-san mentioned she had your contact information, so we chose this method to reach you… I'll keep this brief. Tendō-san was correct—the bicycle really is the 'Legacy of Seven Stars.' Please abandon your pursuit of the criminals Hiruko Kagetane and Hiruko Kohina and focus all your efforts on retrieving the 'Legacy.'"
"But…why can a bicycle summon a Stage V Gastrea?" Upon hearing this shocking truth, Rentaro became overwhelmed with anxiety, momentarily forgetting respect for Seitenshi and instinctively interrupting her.
He faintly heard Kisara gasp on the other end—after all, this was quite an offense. In feudal times, a king might've had him executed for such disrespect.
Seitenshi was silent for several long moments. When she spoke again, Rentaro could clearly sense her voice had grown heavier, tinged with complex emotions.
"...That's not something you should know right now, Satomi-san. Your immediate priority is retrieving the 'Legacy' to prevent the Stage V's arrival."
Rentaro fell silent.
Seitenshi's evasion only made Rentaro even more uneasy about the situation.
"..."
Seitenshi's voice rang again through the phone. "Satomi-san, those two girls who took the 'Legacy'...you seem to know them? Could you share whatever information you have regarding them—their identities, and how you came to meet?"
Rentaro frowned slightly. "Didn't the drones record our conversation?"
"Unfortunately, the drones only transmitted visuals to our screen here, not audio. So although we saw the blue stranger summon lightning, and the aqua-haired Cursed Child transform her hair into blades with power surpassing even Hiruko Kohina's, we have no idea what you actually discussed."
Hearing this, Rentaro concisely explained their encounter through the phone, answering whatever further questions Seitenshi asked, as long as he knew the answers.
"Those two girls...their names are Nursery Rhyme and Scorpio, correct?"
"Yes... At least, that's what they introduced themselves as."
Rentaro understood Seitenshi's feelings. After all, neither "Nursery Rhyme" nor "Scorpio" sounded like real names—more like nicknames.
"So, Satomi-san, is there anything else you feel worth mentioning?"
"Anything else…? Nothing comes to mind right now—oh wait!" Rentaro recalled suddenly. "Nursery Rhyme seemed to already know what was inside the suitcase before opening it."
"Hm?" Seitenshi's voice instantly sharpened. "Could you elaborate on that, Satomi-san?"
"I remember someone told her, 'That suitcase holds something dangerous; it's not a toy.' Nursery Rhyme responded, 'But it really is a toy inside,' and then Scorpio immediately opened the case… Oh, and Scorpio appeared extremely attached to that bicycle. Nursery Rhyme even said something like, 'You definitely can't lose it again this time…'"
After Rentaro finished speaking, the other side sank into dead silence.
It lasted so long that Rentaro feared the connection had dropped again. Anxiously, he called out a few times:
"Seitenshi-sama? Seitenshi-sama? Can you still hear me?"
"...Yes, Satomi-san, we can hear you."
Seitenshi's tone seemed somehow different…but Rentaro couldn't pinpoint exactly how.
"That's about all I have to add."
"Understood. Thank you, Satomi-san. Please continue your mission and do your best to recover the 'Legacy of Seven Stars.'"
After a few more polite exchanges, the call ended.
Seitenshi stared blankly at the phone, releasing a heavy sigh as if trying to expel all fatigue and confusion from her body. She handed the phone back to Kisara and turned toward her assistant, Tendō Kikunojo.
"Kikunojo-san…what are your thoughts?"
"Absolutely impossible. Not even a one-in-ten-thousand chance."
The robust, white-haired elder replied without hesitation. However, after a moment's silence, he quietly added in a very small voice:
"But...if such an absurd thing truly came to pass, perhaps we wouldn't need to worry about Tokyo Area being destroyed by a Stage V anymore."